Ed O'Brien

Edward John O'Brien (born 15 April 1968) is an English guitarist, songwriter and member of the rock band Radiohead.

He releases solo music under the name EOB.

O'Brien attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, England, where he formed Radiohead with schoolmates.

O'Brien said his role was to "service the songs" and support the songwriter, Thom Yorke.

He often creates ambient sounds and textures, using effects, sustain units and the EBow, and provides backing vocals.

O'Brien was born on April 15, 1968.

His family comes from Ballyporeen, Ireland.

As a child, O'Brien enjoyed cricket and theatre.

His parents split when he was 10; O'Brien said this was when music became his "refuge".

He grew up listening to post-punk acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode, the Police and David Bowie.

He said: "It was a very foetal [time] for music because people who went to art college or artists, or musicians, suddenly thought, 'Oh, I can be that.

The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, an independent school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

While O'Brien was playing Lysander in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, he met Thom Yorke, who was scoring the production.

Yorke asked him to join him for a jam.

According to O'Brien, "Before that, [life] was a bit confusing, a bit crap. And then suddenly ... I felt something very strong, almost like some kind of epiphany, almost like: 'This is it.

Along with the drummer, Philip Selway, O'Brien was in the year above Yorke and the bassist, Colin Greenwood, and three years above Colin's brother, the guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.

They continued to rehearse during holidays while the members attended university.

O'Brien studied economics at the University of Manchester, where he took part in the Second Summer of Love.

In 1991, On a Friday signed a record contract with EMI and changed their name to Radiohead.

They found early success with their debut single, "Creep", from their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993).

Whereas initially all three guitarists often played identical parts, for their second album, The Bends (1995), their roles were more divided, with Yorke generally playing rhythm, Greenwood lead and Ed O'Brien providing effects.

The Bends received positive reviews and elevated Radiohead's profile.

Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), brought them international fame and is often acclaimed as one of the best albums of all time.

OK Computer saw O'Brien use less distortion and more delay and other effects, creating a sound that was "more about textures".

O'Brien became depressed during the extensive OK Computer tour, but focused on supporting Yorke.

After the tour, he returned to Oxford, used large amounts of drugs and fell further into depression.

He said: "I was single, on my own … I was the lowest I've ever been. It was the irony as well – you're at the top, that old cliché."

Radiohead's next albums, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), marked a dramatic change in sound, incorporating influences from electronic music, classical music, jazz and krautrock.

O'Brien initially struggled with the change, saying: "It's scary – everyone feels insecure. I'm a guitarist and suddenly it's like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums."

He began using effects units more extensively to process his guitar, creating create synthesiser-like sounds.

O'Brien kept an online diary of Radiohead's progress during the recording.

During the sessions for In Rainbows (2007), O'Brien believed Radiohead might never record another album.

He said later: "One of my mantras throughout the recording was, This is the last time I'm doing this. I'll never summon up the energy to do this again. So I'm going to put everything I can into it."

He was motivated by a desire to cement Radiohead's status as a great band, and said in 2008: "In my view, we've made three really great records, The Bends, OK Computer and Kid A. What we needed was another great record just to seal it."

Rolling Stone named O'Brien among the greatest guitarists of all time in 2010 and 2023.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Radiohead in 2019.

O'Brien's first solo album, Earth, was released in 2020.

O'Brien had been writing songs for years, but lacked confidence and felt they had a character that would be lost with Radiohead.

He began a North American tour in February 2020; a larger tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.